Frontline For Children | February 2021

  1. More than One in Four Latino and Black Household with Children Are Experiencing Three or More Hardship during COVID-19 (Child Trends)

 “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of families experiencing hardships across the country has risen dramatically, with a disproportionate impact on Latino and Black communities.… For the analysis presented in this brief, we used nationally representative data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which has tracked the well-being of U.S. households during the pandemic, to examine seven types of hardships: unemployment, difficulty paying expenses, not being caught up on rent or mortgage, food insecurity, physical health problems, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and lack of health insurance.”

TexProtects Takeaway: The hardships brought on by COVID-19 affecting Black, brown, and indigenous families trickle down to their children. Issues like economic distress, food insecurity, and mental health challenges, exacerbated by the pandemic, impact how families can care for their children during this crisis and in the future. This places more stressors on caregivers, who are less able to help children cultivate the protective factors and resilience that help mitigate adverse experiences in childhood. To read more from TexProtects about the disproportionate impact on these families during COVID-19, click here.

2. Strategies to Virtually Support and Engage Families of Young Children during COVID-19 (Child Trends)

“As preschools and schools continue to reopen, caregivers (e.g., childcare providers and teachers) are quickly pivoting to using virtual platforms to support and engage families in children’s learning. This rapid transition has left little time to assess what we know (and do not know) about family engagement best practices within the virtual space. This brief offers an overview of four best practices and lessons learned from research and practice to assist caregivers and teachers with the transition to engaging families virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.”

TexProtects Takeaway: Virtual learning can be a strain on parents and children’s mental health and time. It is imperative that caregivers and teachers use all the tools necessary to ensure education and resources are provided in the least intrusive, most beneficial ways possible to ensure children, especially those at the critical ages of 0-5, are getting what they need out of virtual learning and early childhood experiences.

3. Buffing Child Maltreatment: School Connectedness as a Protective Factor in a Community Sample of Young Adults(Goldstine-Cole, K.)

“Identified or not, maltreatment increases the risk for substance use disorder, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder across the lifespan. This study examines whether school connectedness (SC), the sense of belonging at school derived from affective relationships in the school context and commitment to learning, protects against such effects. Specifically, in paper one, data from 349 young adults who completed the Protective Factor Questionnaire is used to develop a retrospective five-indicator, measurement model of school connectedness for K-12 and elementary, middle, and high school.… Paper two evaluates SC as a moderator in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental well-being during early adulthood, ages 18-25. Results indicate that SC buffers against intrafamilial maltreatment as well as five individual forms of abuse and neglect.… These results suggest that schools have roles beyond that of mandatory reporter in supporting the wellbeing of maltreated children.”

TexProtects Takeaway: Child abuse and neglect numbers may have risen during the pandemic and schools’ closures, despite fewer reports. Teachers and school staff are one of the main reporters of abuse and neglect, and with the move to virtual learning for many, picking up on the signs is more difficult. TexProtects is working to spread awareness in schools about staff intervening in abuse or neglect, not just as mandatory reporters. See our resources on recognizing abuse on our website.

4. Trauma-Informed Care in Child Welfare: An Imperative for Residential Childcare Workers (Brend, D. & Sprang, G.)

“Rates of traumatization among residential child welfare professionals are alarmingly high. The well-being of these professionals is associated both with their intention to stay in their jobs and outcomes of children in their care.… This manuscript details experiences empirically shown to have potential negative impacts on professional well-being, discusses why these impacts are of particular concern for residential childcare workers, and describes the types of organizational cultures and climates that appear to mitigate these negative impacts. Trauma-informed care at the organizational level is proposed both as a means to reduce harm to child welfare professionals and promote the rehabilitation of children within the child welfare system.”

TexProtects Takeaway: Organizations and agencies working with children from hard places need to implement trauma-informed care training for all staff. Not only does training help mitigate secondary trauma of professionals, but it also helps professionals best serve the children they are working with. TexProtects worked on HB18 last session to ensure school staff receive trauma training; however, Texas has more work to do to ensure high quality training and implementation are consistent across all sectors that impact children and families.

5. AGED OUT: How We’re Failing Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care (Cancel, S., Fathallah, S., Nitze, M., Sullivan, S., & Wright-Moore, E)

“To understand the aging out experiences of foster youth, Think Of Us and Bloom conducted in-field discovery sprints using proven human-centered design and participatory research methodologies in five participating locations” (Santa Clara, Solano, San Francisco, and San José counties in California, Hennepin County in Minnesota, and New York City). “During these sprints, we spoke to a total of 206 people in 92 research sessions. The research team conducted in-depth interviews and participatory design workshops with a wide range of foster youth, former foster youth, child welfare staff and leadership, supportive adults, foster parents, and more…Over the course of the project, three key themes began to emerge. To us, these themes represent where the child welfare system is most failing transition-age youth, and where we must urgently focus our attention. These themes are: 1. Healing and dealing with trauma; 2. Centering youth in their preparedness; and 3. Helping youth build a supportive network.”

TexProtects Takeaway: The state must not forget the needs of youth transitioning out of the foster care system. TexProtects is supporting our partners’ work this legislative session to support improved services for transitioning youth. Check out our bill tracker to learn more.

6. Why Do We Focus on the Prenatal-to-3 Age Period? Understanding the Importance of the Earliest Years (Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin)

This research brief discusses why researchers and practitioners in early childhood consistently describe the first few years of life as being the most critical period for children’s development. The authors highlight that investing in families during a child’s earliest years can have a lasting impact on children’s lifelong health and well-being. They point to key practices that can strengthen families, and therefore, promote the healthy development of children. Some of these factors include access to quality health care for mothers, safe and supportive childcare settings, and other social services, such as early intervention programs for children with developmental delays or disabilities.

TexProtects Takeaway: TexProtects is part of the Prenatal to Three initiative alongside our partners Children at Risk and Texans Care for Children. We support investment in increasing the following for low-income mothers and infants and toddlers: access to prenatal and postpartum health services; health screening and successful connection to necessary services; and access to high-quality childcare programs. Read more about the initiative.

7. Three Trimesters to Three Years: Promoting Early Development (Princeton University and the Brookings Institution)

“The period from pregnancy through age three is the one in which the most rapid growth of the brain and behavior occurs. Yet most researchers and policy makers have treated the nine months of development during pregnancy separately from the first three years of life. Prenatal experiences are part and parcel of the postnatal experience of mothers and their babies; the postnatal period is sometimes referred to as the fourth trimester, a way to highlight the fact that after a child’s birth, mothers themselves need continuing services and screening. Indeed, children’s wellbeing very much depends on their mothers’ health and wellbeing. The title of this issue of the Future of Children, “Three Trimesters to Three Years,” highlights continuity in development, the continuing intersection of mother and baby, and the rapid growth that occurs from conception to three years of age.”

The prenatal and postnatal periods are critical to a child’s health and development. We advocate for investment in home visiting programs that support families in nurturing their children’s development and resilience from an early age, such as Family Connects and Nurse-Family Partnership. Read more on home visiting programs.

TexProtects Stands Up | Disproportionality in the Child Welfare System

 TexProtects’ vision is one where every child is safe, nurtured, and resilient — no matter the color of their skin. This vision cannot be realized while families of color continue to be wounded by systemic racism and injustice. As part of our effort to speak out and stand up against injustice, this blog is part of a series to highlight existing inequalities in our child protection systems. A deepened understanding of these issues can help us know better and do better so that Texas is a safe place to be born – where families can thrive and where every individual is seen and valued equally.

TexProtects’ mission and vision are to prevent children from the trauma of abuse and neglect and to keep families together when children can be kept safe. However, due to various circumstances impacting child safety and risk, some children and families come into contact with the child protection system. Unfortunately, data shows that from intake (recognizing and reporting abuse) to permanency, Black families and children are disproportionately represented and disparities in outcomes are present in the child protection system in Texas.

Black children are 1.8 times more likely to be reported as abuse victims, 2 times more likely be investigated, and 1.7 times more likely to be removed from their home than their White counterparts due to biases and racism at personal, community, and systemic levels. The stakes are higher the further Black children move through the system. They experience more placements, wait longer to be adopted, and are more likely to age out of care.

Tackling disproportionality in the child protection system cannot be done in isolation. Families often interact with so many other systems: healthcare, education, juvenile justice, criminal justice, and more. Therefore, it is crucial we collaborate across systems when addressing disproportionality. Unfortunately, targeted efforts to do this in a thoughtful, systematic way were defunded in Texas in 2018.

The Office of Minority Health Statistics and Engagement was initially created in 2010 to work in the context of Child Protective Services (CPS) but later recognized the value of working across systems so it expanded to include other state agencies. Housed within the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the office was tasked with studying and solving the issue of racial inequities and providing context to the issue of disproportionality. After it was disbanded, CPS subsequently created the role to continue the work within their own agency (Department of Family and Protective Services). Tanya Rollins, the State Disproportionality Manager, now leads the agency’s efforts to address institutional racism. CPS continues to provide its workforce with training on racial and ethnic identity and cultural awareness, as well as poverty simulations.

Despite these activities, the system clearly continues to produce more negative outcomes for Black families and their children. To do better, to create long term change, there must be increased dedication, support, and resources toward both describing and solving the problem. 

We all have a part to play and plenty of areas for growth and change: on an individual level, on a policy and practice level, and on a systems level. TexProtects will continue to speak up and stand up against injustice and inequality, and we commit to addressing inequities through our policy and programmatic work to help ensure that the child welfare system no longer disproportionately produces outcomes that negatively impact Black children. We call on you to participate in and support this work too. 

Frontline for Children | February 2020

Where Science Meets Policy

New and Noteworthy – Child Protection Research

Trends in Pediatricians’ Developmental Screening Rates 2002 – 2016 (American Academy of Pediatrics)

A study released last week shows that 63% of pediatricians reported utilizing standardized developmental screening tools in 2016. That’s up 21% since 2002, but well short of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that ALL children be screened at 9, 18, and 30 months.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: As part of our Prenatal to Three Policy Agenda, TexProtects will be working throughout the interim and into next session on ways to increase the rates and quality of developmental screenings, as well as ensuring that appropriate referrals are provided in response to those screenings. It’s about getting families to the right community resources at the right time!

Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visiting and 18-Year Outcomes of a Randomized Trial (American Academy of Pediatrics)

A randomized control trial of 742 pregnant, low-income women with no previous live births found that children whose mothers had participated in nurse home visiting demonstrated better receptive language, math achievement, and a number of other secondary cognitive-related outcomes.

and

Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visiting Effects on Mothers: 18-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial (American Academy of Pediatrics)

An 18-year follow-up of 618 out of 742 low-income, primarily African-American mothers with no previous live births enrolled in an randomized clinical trial of a prenatal and infancy nurse home visiting program concluded that nurse-visited women incurred $17,310 less in public benefit costs compared with program costs of $12,578.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: Since its inception, TexProtects has advocated for the expansion of evidence-based home visiting programs like Nurse-Family Partnership: they have an amazing return on investment and positive outcomes across multiple domains and two generations. Despite significant progress, less than 4% of families who could benefit from these programs have access to them. Expanding home visiting programs through the Prevention and Intervention Division, the Family First Prevention Services Act, and other funders is a critical part of our Prenatal to Three policy agenda.

New and Noteworthy – Child Protection Policy

States can improve supports for infants and toddlers who are in or at risk of entering foster care (ChildTrends)

Child Trends fielded the 2019 Survey of Child Welfare Agency Policies and Practices for Infants and Toddlers in–or who are candidates for–Foster Care to understand what policies and services are already in place for infants and toddlers involved in and at risk of entering foster care, as well as to understand where the child welfare field can leverage the opportunities provided by the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).

TexProtects’ Takeaway: With FFPSA, states have a new opportunity to use federal funds to support the children and families who are at risk of becoming involved with the foster care system. Texas will likely need to increase its capacity to provide a robust array of services for infants and toddlers who are candidates for foster care, as well as their families. FFPSA is included in interim charges to multiple committees that will hold hearings in the coming months to monitor the Department of Family and Protective Service’s (DFPS) planning and implementation. Stay tuned for ways you can participate and speak up for Texas children.

Using implementation science to make sure evidence-based policy is sized to fit target populations (ChildTrends)

Child Trends’ Lauren Supplee recently appeared on the Freakonomics podcast to discuss evidence-based policy and implementation science, the study of what factors make it possible to scale up research-tested programs to serve larger populations in different communities.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: Evidence-based policy ensures that children and families benefit from proven programs. However, implementation matters! Investments in continued evaluation, adaptations for unique populations, and model fidelity are critical components in taking what works in one place to a larger scale. Thankfully, innovators at Child Trends as well as the Child and Family Research Partnership (CFRP) at the University of Texas are leading the way in designing solutions for these challenges.

Supporting Early Learning in America – Policies for a New Decade (New America)

New America makes eight recommendations to further policy actions that will help “America’s children become lifelong learners who are able to think critically and inventively, manage their emotions and impulses, and make smart decisions.”

TexProtects’ Takeaway: There is much that can be done to support the healthy development of a child’s brain in the early years, both inside and outside the home. TexProtects appreciates the recommendations to support two-generation programs (like home visiting) and ensure that they are integrated with other early childhood systems, as well as the recommendation to identify stable funding sources for early education and care so that parents can plan ahead, knowing they will have access to high quality and affordable care while they are at work.

State Child Care Assistance Policies: Texas (National Women’s Law Center)

NWLC compiled a sheet of child care assistance policy-related facts based on the landscape of care in Texas in 2019.

and

The Child Care Crisis Causes Job Disruptions for More Than 2 Million Parents Each Year (Center for American Progress)

“Unsurprisingly, it is mothers’ employment that suffers most when families are unable to find a child care program that suits their needs. The child care crisis not only affects families’ bottom lines; it also costs the economy $57 billion in annual lost revenue, wages, and productivity.”

TexProtects’ Takeaway: Texas policymakers must do more in the upcoming legislative session to ensure low-income families are able to receive child care assistance, which is critical for the parents’ ability to support their families. High-quality child care is also critical for children’s safety and brain development. 16,379 children on wait lists for child care assistance (as of February 2019) is too many.

Frontline for Children | Where Science Meets Policy

Launching our new monthly feature

TexProtects is pleased to launch our latest monthly feature, Frontline for Children. In it, we will share the newest and most noteworthy child protection research and resources to keep you in the know and inform your work. Our new partnership with Child Trends–the nation’s leading nonprofit research organization focused exclusively on improving the lives and prospects of children, youth, and their families–has expanded our ability to ensure that we are able to keep you connected to innovations and data that will inform policy and program to ensure that every child is safe, nurtured, and resilient.

New and Noteworthy – Child Protection Research

Pediatricians and Child Psychiatrists Suggest Comprehensive Approach in Caring for Children who Have Been Maltreated (American Academy of Pediatrics)

“’Ideally, pediatricians work closely with therapists and psychiatrists when treating children who have been maltreated, but we know this is not always possible,’ Dr. Keeshin said. ‘This report offers pediatricians some tools to help children and families address mental health problems that stem from maltreatment.”

TexProtects’ Takeaway: To ensure the most effective interventions for healing and to minimize the use of psychotropic medications, medical, social, and trauma histories should be integrated when working with children who have experienced maltreatment.

Opportunities for States to Improve Infant Health Outcomes (Center for American Progress)

Features an interactive map of infant health outcomes by race and ethnicity, across states. In Texas, the state average infant mortality rate is 5.8 per 1000; however, for African American/black infants the rate is 9.8 per 1000. Similarly, 8.4% of Texas infants are born low birth weight; however, that rate jumps to 12.4% for African American/black infants.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: Infant health outcomes are closely tied to a mother’s health during pregnancy. Texas must do more to ensure equitable access to maternal care and home visiting programs to ensure healthy beginnings for our children, particularly in our rural communities where there are the greatest disparities.

Children with special health care needs are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences

Child Trends analyzed data from the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), which asks parents or guardians to report whether their child has experienced any of nine out of the 10 ACEs. We found that the prevalence of ACEs is higher among children with special health care needs than among their peers.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: Trauma-informed practices should be incorporated into programs and services for these children and their caregivers to mitigate the long term-impacts associated with adverse childhood  experiences. Children with SHCN are three to four times more likely to experience abuse and neglect which make up five of the ACEs.

New and noteworthy – Child Protection Policy

Who’s paying now? The explicit and implicit costs of the current early care and education system (Economic Policy Institute)

“The U.S. is already pouring billions of dollars into the current system through government expenditures and parental contributions. And yet the current system is failing parents by stretching family budgets and keeping millions out of the labor force.” 

TexProtects’ Takeaway: High quality early childhood education has a positive return on investment in terms of societal benefits as well as increases in revenue and savings for government. Our Prenatal to Three Initiative with Texans Care for Children and Children at Risk has set a policy agenda to further improve this system in Texas.

Impact of $550 Million in Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCBDG) Funding Increase for States (Center for Law and Social Policy)

Offers an estimated distribution of the $550 million increase in CCDBG funds across states in 2020. Texas is estimated to receive $56,939,000 in additional funding.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: CCBDG is the largest source of federal funding for childcare; however, even with this increase, only a fraction of eligible children will have access.

Family First Transition Act passed with bipartisan support

New legislation bolsters support for the foster care system by establishing funds to help states implement prevention pieces of the 2018 Family First Act.

TexProtects’ Takeaway: These funds will allow Texas to invest in family preservation by offering high risk families evidence-based mental health, substance use, and parenting programs. The Family First Prevention    Services Act is an unprecedented opportunity that should be a top priority for agencies and lawmakers involved in child protection.

The Work Toward Next Session Starts Now

The 86th Interim Committee Charges and Child Protection

The Texas Legislative Session takes place for 140 days every two years; but it may be a misconception to call it a part-time legislature. The laws passed during the session are the result of work that starts during the interim – the more than one-and-a-half years between the end of one session and the beginning of another.

Although the legislative session gets the majority of the attention, it’s important to understand the significance and opportunities of the interim. During this time, advocates strengthen relationships with legislators and their staff and educate them on issues that will inform their work and the bills they support the following session.

The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor kick off the interim with charges that instruct committees in the House and Senate on what to monitor and examine before the next session. The committees engage in discussions, research and hold public hearings to produce an interim report, inclusive of recommendations forthe next legislature. Charges typically include directions to monitor the implementation of bills passed by the previous legislature as well as directives toward emerging priorities and issues.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick released Senate charges on Oct. 30, 2019. Most of the charges that affect child protection went to the Senate Health and Human Services committee chaired by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham). Child protection related charges in the Senate include the following:

Rural Health:

  • Examine and determine ways to improve health care delivery in rural and medically underserved areas of the state.
  • Determine whether additional funding provided during the 86th Legislative Session has helped to ensure more accessible and quality health care in rural areas.

Strengthening Families:

  • Examine Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) procedures and grounds for placing a child into the child welfare system and the termination of parental rights.
  • Make recommendations on ways to protect children who are involved with the child welfare system while preserving families under state law.
  • Identify ways faith-based and other community organizations can assist in preserving or reunifying families involved with the child welfare system.

Monitoring:

  • The continued implementation of Senate Bill 11 (85th Legislature) and Community-Based Care by DFPS,
  • Child Care Quality and Safety, and
  • Maternal mortality and infant health initiatives, including the women’s health programs administered by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).

On the House side, this interim has presented some unique challenges. The first few months of the interim were disrupted by a political scandal involving Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) that resulted in his decision to resign his seat, which he has held since 1997. This also means he is leaving his position as Speaker of the House for the next session. This creates some challenges; there is less clarity about leadership and priorities for next session. But there also is an opportunity for the House Committees to pursue their work during the interim given more autonomy.

Adding to challenges in the House is the absence of Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), a longtime House member and chair of the Appropriations Committee – and a dear champion for child protection issues. He will not be seeking reelection – leaving a vacancy on that committee that only the Speaker of the House can fill. With new leadership, every week counts. The Appropriations Committee typically spends the 18 months between sessions to prepare the budget. This year’s budget exceeded $200 billion and the budget is the only bill that every Legislature is required to pass. The appointment of the Appropriations chair will be critical to the political dynamics and the efficiency of the House during this interim.

Challenges aside, Speaker Bonnen released his full list of more than 200 interim charges on Nov. 25 of 2019.

House Charges related to child protection spread across several committees including Appropriations, Human Services, Public Education, Public Health and others. In addition to monitoring charges related to many of the child protection bills from last session, TexProtects is particularly excited that the House is studying the following topics over this interim.

Early Childhood Brain Health:

  • Examine state investments in the health and brain development of babies and toddlers including Early Childhood Intervention and other early childhood programs for children in the first three years.
  • Evaluate opportunities to boost child outcomes and achieve longer term savings (Appropriations Article II subcommittee).

Family First Prevention Services Act:

  • Review how Texas is preparing for state and federal budgetary changes that impact the state health programs including the Family First Prevention Services Act (joint charge for Appropriations Article II and Human Services Committee).

Community Based Care:

  • Monitor the implementation and expansion of Community Based Care by DFPS (joint charge for Appropriations Article II and the Human Services Committee).

Monitoring:

  • Former Foster Youth and Post-Permanency Care (HB53, HB72, HB123, HB1702),
  • Child Care Quality and Safety (SB568, SB569, SB706, HB680),
  • Behavioral Health in Schools (HB18, HB19, HB906),
  • Maternal and Child Health (HB253, SB436, SB748, SB749), and
  • Rural Health (SB633, SB670).

As lawmakers return from the holiday break, the committees will begin posting notices for hearings on these charges. Stay tuned for our next blog in this series which will outline ways that you can get involved and work alongside TexProtects to ensure that every child (and their family) is safe, nurtured, and resilient.